LattePanda

Back to 1991, a Finnish student, Linus Torvalds, started a personal project and created a new free operating system kernel. Since then, the resulting Linux kernel has been marked by constant growth throughout its history. Thanks to the lightweight architecture of Linux, it quickly becoming the world’s system of choice for embedded applications. It can be used for smart home devices, IoT (Internet-of-things), and much more. In the forum, we also see many forum numbers posted their needs for Linux OS. Last week, we excitedly published the offical Linux beta image for our LattePanda. Based on the z8350 CPU of the LattePanda, the performance is so nice. In this article, we want to briefly talk something about Linux.

We’ve been testing the beta version image with our partners and community members for more than 2 months to optimize it. Now we think it’s stable and ready for any commercial purpose usage and tinkering both.

Ubuntu on LattePanda VS Ubuntu on Respberry Pi

Specification comparison between LattePanda and Raspberry Pi

When it comes to Respberry Pi, what impressed you most? That’s the price. It’s so cheap that every geek want to have a try. The CPU of the Respberry Pi is great, but not perfect to deal with some complex algorithm. Sometimes it will lag when you are running your demo, even watching videos. LattePanda is based on x64 system and Intel Cherry Trail z8350 CPU. The performance is much better than Respberry Pi. Of course it’s bit more expensive at the same time. It will help you do your different projects, which Rpi can’t support. LattePanda also provide USB3.0 port, which means it can LattePanda support USB 3.0 devices! You can use hardware such as realsense!

What can Linux do on LattePanda?

Here’re some potential applications you can do with Linux on LattePanda in our view.

Home Server

You can use your LattePanda as a server to share files, store your backups, streams movies and musics. If you don’t want to leave your computer on 24/7, this tiny dedicated ‘Linux box’ might be a better solution. Windows use third-party tools like PUTTY to connect and interact with Linux-based servers. This is not so convenient. Nowadays, most servers are Linux-based because it brings in native support for SSH. Linux-based local machine can connect to remote servers with a single command line in the terminal. Hosts can be stored in a file as well as with SSH keys and usernames. All you have to do to connect with SSH is to type the following command.

Host a Web Site or Webapp

It’s also a good platform to build your own web site. Many Linux-based web host like BlueHost, HostGator, GreenGeeks, Dreamhost can help you build your website. Although it’s a little difficult and complicated, it’s more secure to put your data in your own machine than in someone’s hands.

Security

It sure isn’t invulnerable, but it is a lot more secure. There’s a relatively small number of people using Linux as a desktop OS, which means a relatively small number of hackers looking to exploit it, but besides the raw numbers, Linux is an incredibly secure OS to run. It’s designed from the ground up to be secure, from the default privileges given to users to the way that Linux code is developed and maintained. When you download Win10, you need to download/purchase an Antivirus program like Bitdefender, Norton, Kaspersky Lab to keep your computer safe from hackers. Although Linux still have a couple of Anti-Virus programs to keep your computer safe, it is often unnecessary.

Perfect For Makers

Some Makers shy away from using the Linux because they think it is too foreign and difficult. You need to know many many commands. It’s makes people crazy. But this is one of the most compelling reasons why Makers prefer using Linux OS as well. The terminal isn’t something you should be scared of – it’s a powerful tool with lots of uses. The Linux terminal makes the user get things done easily.

Linux also supports almost all of the major programming languages (Python, C/C++, Java, Perl, Ruby, etc.). You can study programming or do your project on it.

Customization

Different from Windows, one of the most utility things when you use Linux is that we can create your own distro which is one-hundred percent tailored to your needs instead of getting a ready-made one. Of course, you will need tools to make your own Linux distro such as Linux Respin, Systemback, Linux Live Kit, Ubuntu Imager, Linux from Scratch, etc. With these tools, you can easily make your own Linux distro!

You would be also surprised how many beautiful icon themes are there in Linux. You can tweak your system’s according to your imagination.

Apart from installing themes, you have tons of beautiful icon themes. In addition to that, you can use Conky to display system information on the desktop in the coolest way possible. Needless to say that you can do a lot around wallpapers in Linux.

Summary

The beta Linux OS for LattePanda has already been published. With the powerful CPU and better performance, LattePanda will help you do your projects better. A Powerful CPU ensure you run the demo with no lags. If you just want to use it as a home mini PC geek projects’ brain, embedded applications or want to get start with Linux, this cheap SBC OS is also a good choice for you.

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What is Linux?

It’s a free open-source operating system, which means the code is available for anyone to explore. Anyone can contribute code to help enhance the users’ experience with Linux. As well, anyone can add features, fix bugs, reduce security risks, and more.

It has different distributions, for example Ubuntu, CentOS, and Debian. Each is used for different applications. Many DVD players, personal information managers, media terminals and Internet access devices install Linux as OS. Android OS is also based on Linux.

Linux system can be perfectly used for embedded applications because of its lightweight architecture .Thanks to this feature, the performance of the LattePanda gets a dramatic improvement. There are many efficient tools, LattePanda can operate them seamlessly.